The present invention relates to infant nutrition, and more particularly to the nutrition of premature infants and infants of low birthweight. Such infants are at risk of irritation and damage to the intestinal lining (epithelium), which can lead to serious disorders such as necrotizing enterocolitis. Such disorders can lead to chronic gastrointestinal distress, and can even be fatal to the infant.
It would obviously be desirable to be able to reduce or even to prevent occurrence of intestinal damage in the infant. It is all the more desirable to be able to achieve this objective by enteral administration of an appropriate agent in the infant's food. However, while the etiology of intestinal damage leading to necrotizing enterocolitis is not known, it appears that infants fed exclusively with infant formulas are at higher risk for incurring such damage than are infants fed with breast milk. Confronting this condition through any modification directed at the fatty acid content of formula has not been considered because heretofore it has been presumed that lipids are benign to the infant.